I loved this film. It is a heartwarming TRUE story of a quirky white free thinking professor who marches to his own drummer, and positively influences a classroom filled with a group of poor black children in an isolated school on an island in South Carolina.
The children in this classroom have been designated by the schoolboard administrators as lazy and unintelligent. Then comes along a white and handsome young teacher named Pat Conroy played by Jon Voigt, who uses a different strategy to first gain the children's trust, and then through alternative teaching methods (other than through books and a leather strap), Conroy makes the children first fear him as he teaches them all to get over their fear of swimming and actually teaches them to enjoy the water, then brings joy into their lives by singing historical stories which the children don't even realize they are learning for the first time and having so much fun with Mr. Conroy.
The lesson for all of us through this film is to stop doing what continues to fail, and start trying things differently to bring out the best in the children of the future.
I really, really enjoyed this 49 year old (as of 2023) film and I hope it is added to the Criterion Collection as a valuable contribution to both the film industry and the educational foundation. It's unfortunate that Conrack did not have a big hit musical score such as 1967's singer Lulu's To Sir With Love had to influence the students of the 1960's.
I give the film a heartwarming 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
The children in this classroom have been designated by the schoolboard administrators as lazy and unintelligent. Then comes along a white and handsome young teacher named Pat Conroy played by Jon Voigt, who uses a different strategy to first gain the children's trust, and then through alternative teaching methods (other than through books and a leather strap), Conroy makes the children first fear him as he teaches them all to get over their fear of swimming and actually teaches them to enjoy the water, then brings joy into their lives by singing historical stories which the children don't even realize they are learning for the first time and having so much fun with Mr. Conroy.
The lesson for all of us through this film is to stop doing what continues to fail, and start trying things differently to bring out the best in the children of the future.
I really, really enjoyed this 49 year old (as of 2023) film and I hope it is added to the Criterion Collection as a valuable contribution to both the film industry and the educational foundation. It's unfortunate that Conrack did not have a big hit musical score such as 1967's singer Lulu's To Sir With Love had to influence the students of the 1960's.
I give the film a heartwarming 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.